Archives for February 2015

This just in! The 2015 Dietary Guidelines Committee Report was released today!

Remember when it was critical to find foods that had “no cholesterol”? For decades, nutrition and public health experts deemed dietary cholesterol enemy of the heart and advised Americans to cap their intake at 300mg per day. Based on a comprehensive review of the evidence conducted by the Committee, the importance of lowering dietary cholesterol has been downgraded.

A historically feared component of animal-based foods, the advisory committee took notice to the growing number of studies failing to show harm related to cholesterol consumption among healthy adults and those with high cholesterol levels. The advisory committee is now looking for the Dietary Guidelines to remove the emphasis on cholesterol – stating that it is not considered a nutrient of concern for overconsumption. Make no mistake, the committee is not reversing previous recommendations of reducing cholesterol intake, but instead is acknowledging that cholesterol is not the alleged villain as previously thought.

Pollock Communications has a long history of successfully communicating the health and wellness benefits of brands and commodity foods to consumers, retailers and healthcare professionals. With registered dietitians on staff, Pollock helps their clients understand new dietary guidelines and communicate messages that align with current recommendations. For more information on how we can communicate your key messages and achieve your goals, contact us.

On February 1, the Super Bowl launched more than American football fever. The event dominated news and social media, and consequently created one of the largest newsjacking opportunities for brands across the country. As the online arena heated up, social media became even more competitive than the players on the field. From big brands to local businesses, everyone could join in NFL-mania.

However, there is more to jumping on the news cycle than adding “#SB49” to the end of a post. Trending news stories can be an effective tool for getting a brand’s name out in social media, but it is important to remember that just because something is #trending, doesn’t mean strategy should be thrown out the window. In fact, “newsjacked” posts may be seen by a larger audience than usual and should be even more carefully crafted.

Some tips to keep in mind when marrying social media trends with brand strategies:

Keep it neutral

Remember that a brand probably has fans on both sides of any issue (or game). While a little good-natured competition can be humorous, especially in the sports world, be careful not to go too far. Without the benefit of tonality, the audience can easily misinterpret sarcasm and jokes for something more mean-spirited.

Keep your brand in mind

For a post to be most effective, it should be about the brand and the event. Find a connection and work with it. Clothing stores are not expected to share player stats, but go ahead and share some sketches of redesigned team outfits or styles. Even if the connection is simply being based in a certain city, be sure the brand’s image and tone are still present among the news.

Pick your moments

Your audience doesn’t need or expect a social media post after every touchdown, or even every game. Instead, choose your moment – one witty brand post will go farther than 10 bland ones.

Have fun!

Interact with consumers and get involved. Being a top-tier sponsor and creator of the beloved Clydesdale ads, Budweiser was sure to be a popular Twitter account during the Big Game. Still, they decided to add some extra excitement for the fans. They amplified their advertising with puppy and Clydesdale memes shared on Twitter, and responded to fans who were reacting in real-time to their commercial. It might have taken a little creativity and precise social media management, but Budweiser benefitted as fans shared the images and tweets across the internet – and the brand gained followers.

Newsjacking is one of the most advantageous brand opportunities that has arisen from the social media explosion. It allows brands the chance for exposure and audience growth that could typically take several months, or even years. Of course, this means the possibility of negative exposure grows as well, and many brands have seen the consequences of misinterpreted or mishandled posts. However, with a strong social media strategy and a little cleverness, brands can truly benefit from the instantaneous nature of social media and breaking news.

At Pollock Communications, we specialize in building awareness for food, health and wellness clients and we know that understanding how to use the right social media tools for a brand and maintaining a strong social media presence is crucial to delivering stellar results for our clients. For more information on how we can help build your social media strategy, contact us.

February 5, 2015, New York, NY – Pollock Communications, Inc. is a known leader in nutrition, health and wellness public relations and marketing communications. With a long history of outstanding, award-winning results promoting the health benefits of food and beverage clients, the agency is excited to announce two new additions to its roster that expand beyond its traditional arenas, into the back pain and sports nutrition categories. Pollock Communications welcomes BackJoy® and EAS® Sports Nutrition to its family of brands seeking strategic and targeted outreach to health and wellness media as well as key opinion influencers.

Pollock Communications, a full-service, New York City-based public relations firm, won the BackJoy and EAS Sports Nutrition businesses because of the agency’s unsurpassed experience and commitment to providing sound counsel, strategic programs and measurable results that enable clients to meet their business goals. BackJoy and EAS Sports Nutrition join a long list of successful companies, including Unilever, PepsiCo and Dannon, that work with Pollock Communications to enhance their businesses.

“Because of a clear focus on health and wellness, we have a firm grasp on the brands’ target media, consumer and healthcare audiences; we are delighted to use our decades of experience in health and wellness to ensure success for these new clients,” says Louise Pollock, founder and President of Pollock Communications.

BackJoy offers innovative products to help improve posture and fight back pain, including the SitSmart line of seats, StandRight posture footwear and PostureWear apparel. Pollock Communications will help create awareness for new and existing BackJoy products through highly-targeted media relations and influencer outreach.

A division of Abbott, EAS Sports Nutrition products aim to help athletes and fitness enthusiasts reach their next level through high-quality sports nutrition powder, bars and drinks. For EAS Sports Nutrition, Pollock is implementing a program that will educate influencers about the benefits of, uses for and research supporting EAS Sports Nutrition products.

About Pollock Communications

Pollock Communications is a New York City-based independent, full-service, food, health and wellness public relations agency launched in 1991. Pollock’s public relations and credentialed nutrition experts create innovative partnerships that link brands to health and wellness platforms. Pollock has a long history of reaching key influencers and successfully communicating the taste, health and lifestyle benefits of brands and commodity foods to consumers, retailers and healthcare professionals.

About BackJoy

Headquartered in Boulder, Colo., BackJoy’s mission is to change the way the world sits, stands and sleeps. Leveraging what experts (and moms) across the globe have known for years—that better posture prevents back pain—the company creates and distributes innovative patented products that enhance posture to relieve back pain. Inspired by the movement in self-care—the most powerful form of healthcare—BackJoy’s easy-to-use products and personal wellness initiatives help users naturally sit, stand and sleep better to produce positive, life-changing results. Change your posture, change your life! Get inspired by BackJoy users’ real results and learn more at www.backjoy.com.

About EAS Sports Nutrition

EAS Sports Nutrition provides products for athletes and fitness enthusiasts that help them reach their next level through high-quality sports nutrition. EAS Sports Nutrition products are specifically created with ingredients to help consumers achieve their goals with higher levels of protein and the necessary nutrients. EAS Sports Nutrition has products specifically designed to align with consumers’ usage preferences – including powder, bar and drink products. EAS Sports Nutrition is the first major brand to achieve 100% certification for banned substance testing on their products.

December 18, 2014, New York, NY – Will 2015 be gluten-free? Is Paleo out? Are we eating carbs yet? Is kale still the Queen of Greens or will nuts, seeds or cauliflower take the throne? The annual “What’s Trending in Nutrition” Survey fromPollock Communications and Today’s Dietitian highlights what’s forecasted to be in – and what’s out – when it comes to nutrition and healthy eating in 2015.

The survey of more than 500 registered dietitians, conducted by the nutrition trade magazine Today’s Dietitian and a leading food, health and wellness public relations agency, Pollock Communications, uncovered that kale and coconut are still trendy choices, but seeds and nuts have taken over as the top two superfoods for 2015. Other foods expected to make frequent appearances on consumers’ plates in the New Year include ancient grains, Greek yogurt and avocado. Nutrition experts say that consumers still look to gluten-free eating, while low-fat diets have fizzled. They also agree that consumers care about GMO-free, along with locally grown food and high quality protein.

Hungry for more? Here’s a list of what registered dietitians say is trending for 2015. Their expert predictions are sure to affect consumer-purchasing decisions, influence food manufacturers and determine what’s on the supermarket shelves in the coming year:

Sprinkle your superfoods. This year, most registered dietitians named seeds and nuts (54%) as the superfoods that will reign in 2015. Kale remains the Queen of Greens though, with most of the nutrition experts surveyed agreeing that kale, Greek yogurt, coconut products and avocado are prevailing healthful food choices for consumers.

Go green…with tea. When it comes to better beverages, green tea gets high marks with 35% of dietitians selecting it as the drink of choice for its myriad health benefits.

The “beef” about beef. According to dietitians, most consumers view animal-based protein, such as meat, fish and poultry, as high-quality, but nutrition pros rank quality proteins differently. Nutrition experts recommend fish and seafood, eggs, legumes and nuts, poultry and dairy as healthy, high-quality proteins, followed by soy. Red meat is considered less healthy among the nutrition pros, most likely due to the saturated fat, cholesterol and high environmental demands required to produce beef.

Gluten-free diets dominate. According to the experts, 66% believe gluten-free or wheat-free diets will continue to be trendy in 2015. “Regardless of the lack of evidence to support eating a wheat- or gluten-free diet for weight loss, consumers believe that eliminating foods with certain ingredients will help them lose weight or be healthier,” explains Jenna A. Bell, PhD, RD, Senior Vice President and Director of Food & Wellness at Pollock Communications. In fact, the survey revealed that 70% of dietitians believe consumers will be more interested in nutrition and weight loss in 2015 than they were in 2014. Dietitians also noted that we will see “clean eating” as well as the Paleo diet, as popular eating trends.

Old is new. Despite the popularity of some low-grain diets, half of dietitians agree that ancient grains, like amaranth, quinoa, spelt and freekah, will be a top trend in 2015.

“Low-fat” fizzles. While low-carb remains strong, low-fat gets weaker. For another consecutive year, the overwhelming majority of dietitians predict that the low-fat diet will fall flat in 2015, with only 4% naming it as a popular eating trend among consumers.

Good fat vs. bad fat. As consumers welcome fat back into their eating plans, the question becomes which fats are best? In the battle of the fats, 84% of nutrition experts agree that consumers should replace saturated fat with good fats (mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids). “We found that dietitians are making recommendations that align with current guidelines for reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease from the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association,” explains Bell.

Mirror, mirror on the wall. How do consumers gauge their health and weight? By comparing themselves to friends and family, say 35% of dietitians, while 30% say that consumers use people in magazines or on television as their basis for health and weight comparisons.

Consumers won’t be complacent. Last year, 44% of dietitians felt that more Americans were becoming OK with an unhealthy weight. This year’s survey reveals that only 26% of dietitians feel the same way, indicating fewer consumers will be complacent about being overweight.

Blogs dish about nutrition, but can’t always be trusted. Many nutrition experts (42%) agree that consumers are getting their health and nutrition information from blogs and websites. Thirty-eight percent also agree that consumers receive the most misinformation from blogs and websites, and they predict that there will be more nutrition misinformation available in 2015. Ninety-one percent believe the mass quantity of nutrition information and misinformation is more likely to lead to consumer confusion and lack of diet improvement. When in doubt, ask a dietitian! Registered dietitians are the best source of credible, accurate nutrition information.

What’s in a label? According to the experts, consumers are looking for more eco-labels in 2015, with 69% of experts saying that GMO-free labels are most important to their clients.

GMO-free matters. Dietitians predict that GMO-free, gluten-free, clean eating/clean ingredient list and organic will have more of an impact on consumer choices in the coming year.

Make the right choices. What is the best diet advice to improve overall diet and health according to registered dietitians? Fifty-one percent of nutrition experts say to choose high-quality, nutrient-rich foods in all food groups. Forty-seven percent say to eat more fruits and vegetables.

MyPlate holds a place at the table. Holding steady year after year, MyPlate, the USDA’s guidance for healthy eating (myplate.gov), continues to play an important role in nutrition education, with 73% percent of dietitians utilizing MyPlate as a tool to help consumers eat right.

Shoppers want it all. While there will be new food and nutrition trends in 2015, nutrition experts agree that shoppers buy foods that also satisfy three basic needs – convenience, taste and price. There are some things shoppers just won’t sacrifice, regardless of what’s trendy.

“With more than 15 years working on behalf of dietitians, we know that they truly understand all things nutrition,” says Today’s Dietitian Publisher Mara Honicker. “Dietitians are at the forefront of everyday eating habits and purchasing decisions of people from all regional and economic environments, so it makes perfect sense to tap their expertise when it comes to forecasting nutrition trends.”

“Our long-standing relationships with dietitians from across the country help direct our strategic planning for our food and beverage clients. We understand the importance of dietitians’ expertise and insights and are pleased to be able to gather and share this annual nutrition news forecast,” remarks Louise Pollock, founder and President of Pollock Communications. “When it comes to food and nutrition, registered dietitian nutritionists are the top experts for consumers, brands and the media.”

About Pollock Communications

Pollock Communications is a New York City-based, independent, full-service, food, health and wellness public relations agency launched in 1991. Pollock’s public relations and credentialed nutrition experts create innovative partnerships that link brands to health and wellness platforms. Pollock has a long history of reaching key influencers and successfully communicating the taste, health and lifestyle benefits of brands and commodity foods to consumers, retailers and healthcare professionals.

About Today’s Dietitian

Now in its 16th year covering the field of nutrition and dietetics, Today’s Dietitian is established as the leading independent trade publication for registered dietitians, Certified Diabetes Educators, and Dietary Managers. Each month, Today’s Dietitian provides this influential community of professionals with best practices and recommendations for their clients through content that covers essential topics such as diabetes management, heart health, food allergies, and weight control, as well as the latest in industry research, nutritional supplements, and special dietary options that include gluten-free living, plant-based diets, organic foods, and much more.